Fred Wilson has a fantastic blog and is a wonderful writer. I’m a reader and fan. But let’s discard the how-to methodology and get to how Fred got out of the gravity well that traps the overwhelming majority of bloggers: He sits behind and directs a large
amount of VC money.

His blog is a way of getting inside his head in a way, if not directly into his consciousness via the comments. In the same way Robert Scoble, in his ascent, was seen as a conduit to get into Microsoft.

Do most of the readers of his how-to guide have that sort of draw The answer is a resounding no, they don’t. The #1 ingredient to Fred Wilson’s blogging success was there before he wrote his first entry, and is a constituent that few can duplicate. It’s akin to Tom Brady giving dating advice: His context is so removed from
you and I that his methods and their outcomes have little applicability.

Own Your Identity

Given that this post is replying to an online entry, might as well get two out of the way.

Marco Arment has a new entry on owning your identity. His words are solid and it’s good advice: From blogs to email addresses to an online presence, trying to build a permanent structure on someone else’s land is seldom a good idea.